JP2017538245A - Apparatus and related methods for power storage - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte, wherein the first electrode includes graphene oxide, generates protons when water is present, and the first electrode and the second electrode The electrolyte is configured to generate a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode when the first electrode and the second electrode are connected by an external circuit. The electrolyte is configured to flow to the second electrode, and the electrolyte absorbs water from an ambient environment and supplies the water to the first electrode to promote the generation of the protons. Comprising a room temperature ionic fluid. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present disclosure relates to the field of power storage devices (including batteries, supercapacitors, battery / capacitor hybrids, etc.) and related methods and devices. In particular, a graphene oxide electrode configured to generate protons in the presence of water and create a potential difference, and to absorb water from the surrounding environment and supply this water to the electrodes to promote proton generation And an electrolyte containing a room temperature ionic fluid. Examples of specific aspects / embodiments disclosed relate to portable electronic devices such as so-called portable electronic devices. Such portable electronic devices may be used by hand (or used while placed in a cradle). Such portable electronic devices include so-called personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart watches, and tablet personal computers (PCs).

  A portable electronic device / apparatus according to one or more of the example aspects / embodiments disclosed is an audio / text / video communication function (eg, telecommunications, video communication, and / or text communication, short message service (Short Message Service (SMS) / Multimedia Message Service (MMS) / e-mail function), interactive / non-interactive display function (for example, web browsing, navigation, TV / program display function), music recording / playback Functions (eg MP3 and other formats and / or (FM / AM) radio broadcast recording / playback), data download / transmission function, image recording function (eg (built-in) digital camera), game function, One or more of these functions may be provided.

background

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, research has been conducted to develop a smaller storage cell having a larger storage capacity than an existing storage cell for use in the latest electronic devices.

  One or more aspects / embodiments of the present disclosure may or may not solve these challenges.

  The listing or discussion of published documents or backgrounds in this specification may not necessarily be understood as such documents or backgrounds being part of the current state of the art or general knowledge.

Abstract

According to a first aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte,
The first electrode includes graphene oxide, is configured to generate protons when water is present, and to generate a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode;
The electrolyte can flow the generated protons from the first electrode to the second electrode when the first electrode and the second electrode are connected by an external circuit. Configured,
The electrolyte includes a room temperature ionic fluid configured to absorb water from the surrounding environment and supply the water to the first electrode to facilitate the production of the protons.

  The first electrode and the second electrode may be configured to form a joint with each other at an interface between each other. The electrolyte may be in contact with the joint portion of the first electrode and the second electrode.

  The device may be configured such that one or both of the first electrode and the electrolyte are exposed to water in the surrounding environment.

  The second electrode may include one or more of graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, potassium hydroxide, poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonic acid, a base, and a conductive polymer.

  The first electrode and the second electrode may include corresponding first graphene oxide ink and second graphene oxide ink, respectively. The pH of the first graphene oxide ink may be lower than the pH of the second graphene oxide ink. The pH of the first graphene oxide ink may be 1 to 4, and the pH of the second graphene oxide ink may be 13 to 14.

  The room temperature ionic fluid may include one or more of a room temperature ionic liquid and an ionic gel. The room temperature ionic fluid is a liquid or gel that is at least within one or more temperature ranges of −100 ° C. to + 100 ° C., −50 ° C. to + 50 ° C., + 15 ° C. to + 35 ° C., and + 20 ° C. to + 27 ° C. There may be.

  The room temperature ionic fluid comprises one or more of triethylsulfonium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, and trioctylmethylammonium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide. But you can.

  The electrolyte is configured to assist in the flow of protons from the first electrode to the second electrode and / or facilitate absorption of water from the ambient environment by the room temperature ionic fluid. One or more salts may further be included. The one or more salts may include at least one of lithium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide, lithium chloride, and sodium chloride.

  The room temperature ionic fluid may be hydrophilic and ionically conductive.

  The room temperature ionic fluid may include cations and anions. The cation may be substantially larger in size than the anion.

  The apparatus may further comprise a current collector configured to contact the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, and to provide an electrical path between each of the electrodes and the external circuit. . One or both of these current collectors may include at least one of metal, alloy, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, steel, and indium tin oxide.

  The apparatus may comprise a substrate configured to support the first electrode and the second electrode.

  The apparatus is a battery, a capacitor, a supercapacitor, a battery / capacitor hybrid, an electronic device, a portable electronic device, a portable telecommunications device, a mobile phone, a PDA, a fablet, a tablet, a laptop computer, an electronic watch, a wireless sensor, an electrochemical It may be a sensor, a wearable device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, one or more electrochromic elements, and a module for one or more of the above.

According to a further aspect, there is provided a method of making a device comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte, the method comprising:
The first electrode comprising graphene oxide, configured to generate protons in the presence of water and to generate a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode; and the second electrode Forming and
Providing the electrolyte so that the generated protons can flow from the first electrode to the second electrode when the first electrode and the second electrode are connected by an external circuit The electrolyte includes a room temperature ionic fluid configured to absorb water from an ambient environment and supply the water to the first electrode to facilitate the production of the protons. Including.

  One or both of forming the first electrode and the second electrode and providing the electrolyte may include printing the electrode / electrolyte.

According to a further aspect, there is provided a method for generating a potential difference using an apparatus, the apparatus comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte;
The first electrode includes graphene oxide, is configured to generate protons when water is present, and to generate a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode;
The electrolyte can flow the generated protons from the first electrode to the second electrode when the first electrode and the second electrode are connected by an external circuit. Configured,
The electrolyte includes a room temperature ionic fluid configured to absorb water from an ambient environment and supply the water to the first electrode to facilitate the generation of the protons, the method comprising:
Exposing the electrolyte to water in the ambient environment to promote generation of the protons by the first electrode and generation of a corresponding potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. including.

  The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the order disclosed, unless explicitly described as such or otherwise understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

  Corresponding computer programs (which may or may not be recorded on a carrier) for implementing one or more of the methods described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure and are It is included in a plurality of example embodiments.

  This disclosure includes one or more aspects, example embodiments, and features individually or in various combinations. It does not matter whether these matters are specifically described in combination or individually (including the claims). Corresponding means for performing one or more of the described functions are also within the scope of this disclosure.

  The foregoing summary is intended to be merely exemplary and non-limiting.

The following description is given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1a is a plan view of an existing proton battery. FIG. 1b is a cross-sectional view of the proton battery shown in FIG. 1a. FIG. 1c is a schematic diagram of discharge curves for various discharge currents of the proton battery shown in FIG. 1a. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of an apparatus according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the discharge curve of the device shown in FIG. 1 having various bonding areas. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a discharge curve of a device comprising two stacked joints. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another example of an apparatus according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a method of creating the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a method of using the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 8 illustrates a computer readable medium including a computer program configured to perform, control, or enable one or more of the method steps illustrated in FIG. 6 or FIG.

Description of Examples

  Electrical energy storage devices are an important consideration for portable electronic devices. Proton batteries are currently being developed for this purpose. In some types of proton battery energy generation mechanisms, graphene oxide degrades when it comes into contact with water. Water may be contained in the battery or mixed from the surrounding environment (for example, as moisture).

FIG. 1 a is a plan view of an existing graphene oxide-based proton battery 101, and FIG. 1 b is a cross-sectional view thereof. The battery 101 includes a first electrode 102 formed from graphene oxide and a second electrode 103 formed from reduced graphene oxide. The first electrode 102 and the second electrode 103 are each stacked (at least partially) on a corresponding silver current collector 107 to interface with each other (eg, electrode materials mix and / or The joint portions 106 are formed at a location where they overlap each other. In this example, each current collector 107 has a length (l) and a width (w) of 5 mm, a thickness (t) of 1 μm, and is separated by an interval of 2 mm. Therefore, the in-plane joining area (ie l × w) is 10 mm ² . The electrical characteristics of the existing graphene oxide-based proton battery 101 were tested by performing multiple charge / discharge cycles. The battery 101 had a storage capacity of a maximum of 100 nAh and a maximum open circuit voltage of 0.6 V at a humidity of 30%, and could be discharged with a current of 2 nA to 80 nA.

  FIG. 1c is a diagram of the discharge curves generated for various discharge currents. An apparatus and associated method that can potentially provide greater electrical output than the existing proton battery 101 is described below.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the apparatus 201. Device 201 is for one or more of primary or secondary batteries, capacitors, supercapacitors, battery / capacitor hybrids, and one or more of the above depending on the particular electrochemical properties of device 201. It may be a module. The device 201 includes a first electrode 202, a second electrode 203, and an electrolyte 204. The first electrode 202 includes graphene oxide, and is configured to generate protons when water is present, thereby generating a potential difference between the first electrode 202 and the second electrode 203. When the first electrode 202 and the second electrode 203 are connected to each other by an external circuit (not shown), the electrolyte 204 transfers generated protons from the first electrode 202 to the second electrode, for example, while using the potential difference. It is configured to be able to flow to the electrode 203.

  Importantly, the electrolyte 204 includes a room temperature ionic fluid that is configured to absorb water from the ambient environment 205 and supply this water to the first electrode 202 to facilitate proton generation. . This feature has been found to increase both the storage capacity and output pressure of the device 201, allowing the device 201 to discharge with a larger current (described in more detail below). Also, the device 201, in some embodiments (e.g., secondary battery, capacitor, supercapacitor, battery / capacitor hybrid), is completely discharged without using external energy due to the presence of room temperature ionic fluid. It can be recharged within minutes. This is due to a chemical reaction between the graphene oxide of the first electrode 202 and water from the external environment 205, which generates protons and generates a potential difference. Thus, in these embodiments, the device 201 may be recharged if (i) water is present and (ii) graphene oxide is not completely consumed in the previous charge cycle. In another embodiment (eg, a primary battery), the device 201 may not be recharged.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the first electrode 202 and the second electrode 203 form a junction 206 with each other at the interface between each other (eg, where electrode materials mix and / or overlap each other). The electrolyte 204 is in contact with the joint 206 between the first electrode 202 and the second electrode 203. This configuration can be created using a relatively simple printing process. Further, the contact between the electrolyte 204 and the electrode joint 206 ensures that the generated protons can flow between the first electrode 202 and the second electrode 203.

  Device 201 may be configured such that one or both of first electrode 202 and electrolyte 204 are exposed to water in ambient environment 205. In practice, this may (for example) keep the device 201 uncovered / unsealed, if a protective case is required, include the device 201 in a permeable and / or breathable material, or allow it to open and close. This can be accomplished by providing a case for the device 201 with one or more parts configured. Allowing the electrolyte 204 to be exposed to water in the ambient environment 205 is necessary to enjoy the benefits of the improved electrical properties of the device 201. This is because water is thought to promote proton generation. In some cases, the apparatus 201 may be provided with a water source so that protons (ie, potential differences) can be generated even when the ambient environment 205 is relatively low in humidity. For example, the device 201 may comprise a water absorbing material (such as a sponge) in fluid communication with the first electrode 202 and / or the electrolyte 204 for this purpose.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, device 201 is in contact with first electrode 202 and second electrode 203, respectively, and provides an electrical path between each of electrodes 202, 203 and an external circuit (not shown). You may further provide the collector 207 comprised. One or both of these current collectors 207 may include at least one of metal, alloy, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, steel, and indium tin oxide. FIG. 2 shows an overlapping portion 220 between the electrodes 202 and 203 associated with the current collector 207, respectively. Such a region 220 may be generated, for example, when the electrodes 202, 203, and / or current collector 207 material are laminated using a printing process.

  The apparatus 201 further includes a substrate 208 configured to support the electrodes 202, 203, the electrolyte 204, and the current collector 207. The support substrate 208 is particularly useful when various components are formed using a printing process. This is because printable materials (inks, liquids, gels, etc.) do not remain in place at least until they are dried or cured.

  As described above, the first electrode 202 includes graphene oxide that reacts with water to generate protons. In the illustrated example, the second electrode 203 includes reduced graphene oxide, but graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, potassium hydroxide, poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT: PSS), base And one or more of the conductive polymers. In some examples, the first electrode 202 and the second electrode 203 may be formed from corresponding first graphene oxide ink and second graphene oxide ink, respectively. In this case, generally, the pH (for example, pH = 1 to 4) of the first graphene oxide ink is set lower than the pH (for example, pH = 13 to 14) of the second graphene oxide ink. A difference in pH between the inks is beneficial because proton transport from the first electrode 202 to the second electrode 203 is promoted through an acid-base reaction at the joint 206 of the electrodes 202 and 203. is there.

  The room temperature ionic fluid of the electrolyte 204 may be a room temperature (+ 20 ° C. to + 27 ° C.) liquid or gel. To accomplish the foregoing, the fluid may include cations and anions, where the cations are substantially larger in size than the anions (eg, the cation radius is up to 2 times the anion radius). 3, 4, 5 or 10 times larger). The different sizes of cations and anions can prevent the fluid from forming a crystal lattice at room temperature and maintain the electrolyte 204 in the fluid. In some cases, the room temperature ionic fluid may be a liquid or gel at a temperature outside the aforementioned “room temperature” range. For example, it may be a liquid or gel at a temperature of −100 ° C. to + 100 ° C., −50 ° C. to + 50 ° C., and / or + 15 ° C. to + 35 ° C. Beneficially, to ensure proton conductivity, the room temperature ionic fluid may be liquid or gel at all operating temperatures of the apparatus.

  The electrolyte 204 may comprise any ionic fluid at room temperature that is hydrophilic and ionically conductive. The room temperature ionic fluid may include one or more of a room temperature ionic liquid and an ionic gel. Suitable examples include triethylsulfonium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([SET3] [TFSI]), 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium ([BMIM] [CI]), and trioctylmethylammonium bis ( Trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([OMA] [TFSI]). The electrolyte 204 is configured to assist the flow of protons from the first electrode 202 to the second electrode 203 and / or facilitate the absorption of water from the ambient environment 205 by the room temperature ionic fluid. One or more salts may further be included. The addition of one or more salts further promotes proton generation and conduction, allowing the device 201 to generate more electrical energy. Suitable salts include lithium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([Li] [TFSI]), lithium chloride, and sodium chloride.

It has been found that this device 201 exhibits a higher storage capacity and output pressure than existing proton batteries and can be discharged at a higher current. This is due at least in part to the presence of room temperature ionic fluid in the electrolyte 204. Multiple experiments were performed to test the electrical characteristics of the device 201. In these experiments, graphene oxide (GO) is used for the first electrode 202, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is used for the second electrode 203, and [SET3] [TFSI] is used for the ionic fluid at room temperature in the configuration shown in FIG. Further, silver was used for the current collectors 207 of the electrodes 202 and 203. Also, the in-plane region of the GO / rGO junction 206 was adjusted to approximately 10 mm ^{2 (} according to the existing proton battery shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b) and completely covered by the electrolyte 204. Throughout these experiments, the humidity (eg, ambient humidity) of the ambient environment 205 was adjusted to about 30%.

When room temperature ionic fluid is applied to the device 201, the open circuit voltage increases from about 0.6V to about 1V and the storage capacity increases from about 100 nAh (at a discharge current of 2 nA) to about 340 nAh (at a discharge current of 100 nA). did. Thereafter, the region of the GO / rGO junction 206 was changed to about 10 mm ² , about 30 mm ² , and about 50 mm ^2, and the influence on the electrical characteristics of the device 201 when the active region was increased was specified.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the discharge curves of various junction regions. Increasing the junction area from about 10 mm ² to about 30 mm ² increased the storage capacity from 340 nAh to 1110 nAh (at a discharge current of 100 nA). When the junction area was further expanded to about 50 mm ² , the storage capacity increased to 7300 nAh (at a discharge current of 100 nA). By expanding the junction area, it is possible to use a higher discharge current. In fact, the largest joint used for the test (about 50 mm ² ) was found to be suitable for use with a discharge current of up to 1 μA.

To increase the output voltage of the device, the two elements connected in series to form a junction region of the laminate and approximately 10 mm ² in two GO / rGO junction. It was found that adding the second cell / junction increased the open circuit voltage from 1V to 2.3V and increased the storage capacity from 340 nAh (at 100 nA discharge current) to 12 μAh (at 1 μA discharge current).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram of the above-described stack discharge curve at a discharge current of 1 μA. As can be seen from this graph, the initial output voltage of about 1.8V (below the open circuit voltage of 2.3V due to the internal resistance of the device) dropped to zero after 11 hours of use. The results shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 indicate that the electrical output of the device can be increased by a relatively small increase in the number of active (junction) regions and cells (junctions).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another example of the apparatus 501. In this example, the device comprises some or all of the components shown herein (shown as power storage device 509 in FIG. 5), processor 510, storage medium 511, electronic display 512, and transceiver 513, These are electrically connected to each other by a data bus 514. The apparatus 501 includes an electronic device, a portable electronic device, a portable telecommunications device, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a fablet, a tablet, a laptop computer, an electronic watch, a wireless sensor, an electrochemical sensor, and a wearable. It may be a device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, one or more electrochromic elements, and a module for the one or more.

  The power storage device 509 is configured to supply power to other components to enable their functions. In this respect, the other components may be regarded as the aforementioned external circuit. The electronic display 512 is configured to display content stored in the device 501 (eg, stored in the storage medium 511), and the transceiver 513 can receive one or more other via a wired connection or a wireless connection. Configured to send and receive data to and from the device.

  The processor 510 is configured to operate the device 501 as a whole by providing signals to and receiving signals from other components and managing the operation of the other components. . Storage medium 511 is configured to store computer code configured to perform, control, or enable operation of apparatus 501. The storage medium 511 may be configured to store settings of other components. The processor 510 may access the storage medium 511 to obtain the setting of the component in order to manage the operation of the other component.

  The processor 510 may be a microprocessor including an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The storage medium 511 may be a temporary storage medium such as a volatile random access memory. On the other hand, the storage medium 511 may be a permanent storage medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, or a nonvolatile random access memory.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the main steps 615-616 of the method for creating an apparatus described herein. This method typically produces protons generated when the first and second electrodes are formed (615) and the first and second electrodes are connected by an external circuit (eg, during the use of a potential difference). Providing (616) an electrolyte so that the electrolyte can flow from the first electrode to the second electrode. These steps 615, 616 may be performed using various creation processes. Beneficially, the electrodes (with or without the current collector) and the electrolyte may be printed, for example by ink jet printing. In this case, care must be taken during printing so that the electrolyte does not contact any current collector. Otherwise, the device can be short-circuited.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the main steps 717-718 of the method for generating a potential difference using the apparatus described herein. This method usually results in exposing the electrolyte to water in the surrounding environment to promote proton generation by the first electrode (717) and creating a corresponding potential difference between the first and second electrodes. (718). The electrolyte places the device in a humid environment (eg, having an ambient humidity of at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, or 75%) or in a container with water. It may be exposed to water. To prevent the device from being shorted or damaged by water, the device may be waterproofed or provided with a waterproof case, which makes undesirable connections between current collectors and / or between various electronic circuit elements and paths. Is prevented from being formed.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a computer / processor readable medium 819 that provides a computer program according to one embodiment. The computer program is computer code configured to perform, control, or enable one or more of steps 615-616 of the method of FIG. 6 and / or one or more of steps 717-718 of the method of FIG. May be included. In this example, the computer / processor readable medium 819 is a disc such as a digital versatile disc (DVD) or a compact disc (CD). In other embodiments, computer / processor readable medium 819 may be any medium programmed to perform the functions of the invention. The computer / processor readable medium 819 may be a removable memory device such as a memory stick or a memory card (SD, mini SD, micro SD, or nano SD).

  Other illustrated embodiments have been provided with reference numerals corresponding to similar features of the previous embodiments. For example, feature number 1 can also correspond to numbers 101, 201, 301, and the like. Although these numbered features may appear in the drawings, they may not be directly mentioned in the description of these particular embodiments. Nevertheless, these numbers are appended to the drawings to aid in understanding other embodiments, particularly in the context of the features of similar embodiments described above.

  Those skilled in the art will recognize that the described apparatus / device and / or other features of the specific described apparatus / device perform desired operations only when they are in an operational state, for example, when a switch is in an on state. It will be understood that the apparatus can be provided by being configured to do so. In such cases, the appropriate software may not necessarily be loaded into the active memory in a non-operational state (eg, a switch off state), and the appropriate software may only be loaded in an operational state (eg, an on state). Good. The device may include hardware circuitry and / or firmware. The device may include software loaded into memory. Such software / computer programs may be recorded on the same memory / processor / functional unit and / or one or more memory / processor / functional units.

  In some embodiments, the particular device / device described may be pre-programmed with appropriate software to perform the desired operation, which is the user's “key”. It can also be downloaded and made available, for example by unlocking the software and related functions / making them executable. Effects from such embodiments may include reducing the need to download data when the device needs more functionality. This may also be useful in examples where the device is believed to have sufficient capacity to store such pre-programmed software that may not have been made executable by the user.

  It is understood that the described apparatus / circuit / element / processor may have other functions in addition to the described functions, and these functions may be performed by the same apparatus / circuit / element / processor Will be done. One or more disclosed aspects include electronic distribution of related computer programs, and computer programs (may be source / transmission encoded) recorded on a suitable carrier (eg, memory or signal). May be included.

  As used herein, a “computer” refers to one or more individual processors / processing elements that may or may not be located on the same circuit board, in the same area / location of the circuit board, or on the same device. It will be understood that a set may be included. In some embodiments, one or more described processors may be distributed over multiple devices. One or more functions described herein may be performed by the same or different processors / processing elements.

  It will be understood that the term “signal” may mean one or more signals transmitted as a series of transmitted signals and / or received signals. The series of signals may include one, two, three, four, or more individual signal components or individual signals forming the above signal. Some or all of these individual signals may be transmitted / received at the same time, in sequence, and / or overlapping in time.

  For the discussion of computers and / or processors and memories (including ROM, CD-ROM, etc.) described, these are computer processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) programmed to perform the functions of the invention. , Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and / or other hardware elements.

  Applicant will hereby conclude that any individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more of those features may be used to determine whether those features or combinations of features solve any of the problems disclosed herein. Regardless of the scope of the claims, the features and combinations are separately disclosed to the extent that they can be implemented based on the entire specification in light of the general knowledge of those skilled in the art. Applicants suggest that the disclosed aspects / embodiments may be composed of such individual features or combinations of features. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure.

  While basic novel features applied to different embodiments have been illustrated, described, and pointed out, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the described devices and methods depart from the spirit of the invention. It will be understood that this can be done by a person skilled in the art without. For example, it is expressly expressed that all combinations of elements and / or method steps that perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same result are within the scope of the invention. . Further, the structures and / or elements and / or method steps illustrated and / or described in connection with the disclosed forms or embodiments are not limited to the other disclosed, described, general issues of design choice. It should be appreciated that it may be incorporated into the form or embodiment suggested or suggested. Further, in the claims, the means plus function section is intended to include not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures, including those in which the structures described herein perform the described functions. Has been. Therefore, nails and screws may not be structural equivalents in that the nails use a cylindrical surface to fix the wooden parts but the screws use a helical surface, but the wooden parts are fixed. In the environment, nails and screws can be equivalent structures.

Claims (17)

A device comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte,
The first electrode includes graphene oxide, is configured to generate protons when water is present, and to generate a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode;
The electrolyte can flow the generated protons from the first electrode to the second electrode when the first electrode and the second electrode are connected by an external circuit. Configured,
The apparatus, wherein the electrolyte includes a room temperature ionic fluid configured to absorb water from an ambient environment and supply the water to the first electrode to facilitate the production of the protons.   The first electrode and the second electrode are configured to form a junction with each other at an interface between each other, and the electrolyte is the junction between the first electrode and the second electrode. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is in contact with.   The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one or both of the first electrode and the electrolyte are configured to be exposed to water in the ambient environment.   The second electrode comprises one or more of graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, potassium hydroxide, poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonic acid, a base, and a conductive polymer. 4. The apparatus according to any one of 3.   The first electrode and the second electrode include corresponding first graphene oxide ink and second graphene oxide ink, respectively, and the pH of the first graphene oxide ink is the same as that of the second graphene oxide ink. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus is lower than pH.   The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pH of the first graphene oxide ink is 1 to 4, and the pH of the second graphene oxide ink is 13 to 14.   The room temperature ionic fluid is a liquid or gel that is at least within one or more temperature ranges of −100 ° C. to + 100 ° C., −50 ° C. to + 50 ° C., + 15 ° C. to + 35 ° C., and + 20 ° C. to + 27 ° C. An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein:   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the room temperature ionic fluid comprises triethylsulfonium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide.   9. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the room temperature ionic fluid comprises 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the room temperature ionic fluid comprises trioctylmethylammonium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide.   The electrolyte is configured to assist in the flow of protons from the first electrode to the second electrode and / or facilitate absorption of water from the ambient environment by the room temperature ionic fluid. 11. The device according to any of claims 1 to 10, further comprising one or more salts.   The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the room temperature ionic fluid comprises a cation and an anion, wherein the cation is substantially larger in size than the anion.   The current collector of claim 1, further comprising a current collector in contact with each of the first electrode and the second electrode and configured to provide an electrical path between each of the electrodes and the external circuit. The device according to any one of the above.   Battery, capacitor, supercapacitor, battery / capacitor hybrid, electronic device, portable electronic device, portable telecommunications device, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), fablet, tablet, laptop computer, electronic watch, 14. A wireless sensor, an electrochemical sensor, a wearable device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, one or more electrochromic elements, and a module for the one or more. The device according to any one of the above. A method of making a device comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte comprising:
The first electrode comprising graphene oxide, configured to generate protons in the presence of water and to generate a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode; and the second electrode Forming and
Providing the electrolyte so that the generated protons can flow from the first electrode to the second electrode when the first electrode and the second electrode are connected by an external circuit The electrolyte includes a room temperature ionic fluid configured to absorb water from an ambient environment and supply the water to the first electrode to facilitate the production of the protons. Including. A method of generating a potential difference using an apparatus, the apparatus comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte,
The first electrode includes graphene oxide, is configured to generate protons when water is present, and to generate a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode;
The electrolyte can flow the generated protons from the first electrode to the second electrode when the first electrode and the second electrode are connected by an external circuit. Configured,
The electrolyte includes a room temperature ionic fluid configured to absorb water from an ambient environment and supply the water to the first electrode to facilitate the generation of the protons, the method comprising:
Exposing the electrolyte to water in the ambient environment to promote generation of the protons by the first electrode and generation of a corresponding potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. Including a method.   A computer program comprising computer code configured to, when executed by a processing means of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of claim 15 or 16.